


escapism

by itisjosh



Series: onlypain [6]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Depression, Dialogue Light, Emotional Support, Gen, Intrusive Thoughts, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Moving On, Running Away, War, aftermath of war, niki supremacy, read "maple syrup" first for context, thanks niki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27652768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: It's nearly been four years, and Wilbur watches as his younger brother finally steps back out of the portal.He's gone before Wilbur can even say hello.
Relationships: Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: onlypain [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027711
Comments: 35
Kudos: 417





	escapism

"This is the only grave in the entire graveyard, Tubbo. You know what that means, yeah? Everyone else is okay!" 

Wilbur feels his heart start to race, his eyes watering. Holy shit. Tommy is back, he's _back_. 

He ran away nearly four years ago, taking Tubbo with him. Wilbur was so close to giving up then, when he had realised that he lost his brother. That he had lost someone who always promised to stick by his side. Wilbur stares at his younger brother, standing up off of the podium. He redesigned it with L'manberg's colours. It has less blackstone and more spruce and mossy cobble. "Tommy-" Wilbur grins, though it's quickly wiped off his face. Wilbur watches as Tommy and Tubbo laughs, going back into the portal. 

_No_. 

Wilbur just got him back! He just got Tommy back, he can't..he's..he's gone. He's gone, and Wilbur didn't even get to..he didn't..he..

"Will," Niki's voice is enough to send him into tears, and he crumples to his knees, sobbing. It's been four years. It's been four years, and Tommy didn't even look at him. Did he see him? Surely he did, surely Tommy saw him. They had to have, the podium is right in front of the portal. Wilbur was standing right there, he was right in front of them, and they didn't..they left. Tommy never even looked at him. Why? Why did they..Tommy never planned on coming back. " _Will_ ," Niki murmurs, and then her arms are wrapped around him. He flinches, curling up in on himself. He sobs into her shoulder as she holds him, memories flooding back to him. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay, Will, you're alright. What's wrong? You're fine, nothing is going to happen."

That's the _problem_. Nothing happened. Tommy left without a word, he just disappeared. He left without a word four years ago, and he fucking did it again. Wilbur won the war, he destroyed Schlatt from the inside out and he got rid of him, he got his country back. He fought so hard to show Tommy that he could do it, that he wasn't going to blow up L'manberg. He held out hope that he'd come back, that his little brother would finally come back to his home. But he _didn't_. Wilbur waited for so long, and Tommy never, ever came back. Wilbur rebuilt L'manberg, he got rid of the scraps Schlatt left behind, he built up their home from the ground up. He had Eret help him with the buildings, and he always went back to Tommy's home to clean it, to make sure dust never settled on anything. 

And yet, still, Tommy never came home. 

Wilbur was so sure that they had died. Tommy and Tubbo are smart, they're smart and they're strong, but they're _kids_. But that didn't make sense, because both of them had only ever died once. Tommy died in the duel, and Tubbo died when Eret betrayed them. They still had two extra lives, and if they had died, they would have come back to home, to spawn. Wilbur would have seen them. He spent hours, days, weeks, _months_ , patrolling the area around, trying to find any trace of his them. Wilbur tried so fucking hard to find them, and it never worked. They were gone, they were _gone_ , and there was nothing he could do.

"They left," Wilbur cries, clutching Niki a little closer. "Tommy and- Tu- Tubbo, they just..they came back, and- and th- they left, they left, Niki. They left, they didn't even look at me, they hate me, they _hate_ me," he sobs. "Tommy hates me, he hates me and that's why they left, they left again, and they never..he never..I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to say any of the things I said, I just wanted my home back and I was so scared and I'm so sorry and I-"

"Shh," Niki murmurs, her voice the most soothing thing Wilbur's ever heard. "They're okay, Will. They don't hate you. They could never hate you," she runs her fingers through her hair, and Wilbur is thankful for the physical touch, the distraction. "They're older now, yeah? They made themselves a life outside of here. They'll be okay, Will. They're adults now. They're..they're what, twenty now? They're going to be alright. They've made themselves a home."

"Th- this was their home," he whispers, feeling himself start to shake. "This was their home, Niki. I thought they'd come back to- to say hello, I thought they..I thought.."

"It's alright," Niki wraps her arms around him, and Wilbur sinks into her arms. "They don't hate you. They've just moved on, okay? They're grown up now, Will." 

"But.." Wilbur closes his eyes, memories flooding back into his head. He thought that Tommy was going to rule with him. He thought so many things. He was so fucking wrong. "I'm so scared, Niki." He hasn't felt scared in a long time.

"I know," Niki says, and Wilbur knows that she's telling the truth. "They're okay. You saw them, right? They looked fine, right?"

"Y- yeah," he whispers. "They looked better than they ever had."

Niki runs her hands up and down his back. "Then that's all that matters. They're safe. They can always come back."

"They won't," he doesn't know how he knows that, but he knows they won't. Wilbur knows that they aren't going to come back. "I tried so hard to rebuild everything. I tried so hard to win the war for them. They're never going to come back, and I.." Wilbur swallows, cutting himself off. "L'manberg isn't their home anymore, is it, Niki?"

"I don't think so," she murmurs. "They made themselves a new home when they left. They're smart, Will. They'll be just fine. Come on," Niki helps him stand, and he nearly tumbles straight into her, his legs are shaking so bad. "Let's go to the bakery, okay? I'll teach you how to make bread." 

Wilbur forces a smile, feeling the hurt in his chest slowly start to fade. 

Tommy and Tubbo are never going to come back home. 

That's..that's okay. 

Wilbur has everyone he needs here.

At least..

At least they're finally happy.


End file.
